In Python before 3.10.3 on Windows, local users can gain privileges because the search path is inadequately secured. The installer may allow a local attacker to add user-writable directories to the system search path. To exploit, an administrator must have installed Python for all users and enabled PATH entries. A non-administrative user can trigger a repair that incorrectly adds user-writable paths into PATH, enabling search-path hijacking of other users and system services. This affects Python (CPython) through 3.7.12, 3.8.x through 3.8.12, 3.9.x through 3.9.10, and 3.10.x through 3.10.2.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.0, requiring local system access to exploit but requires specific conditions to be met without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 4 products from python, from microsoft, from netapp and 1 other, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
Reported in 2022, this vulnerability emerged during an era marked by increased sophistication in supply chain attacks, cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities, and software-as-a-service (SaaS) security challenges. Security practices during this period emphasized zero-trust architectures, container security, and API protection.
2022-03-10T17:47:45.383
2024-11-21T06:54:02.590
Modified
CVSSv3.1: 7.0 (HIGH)
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
3.4
6.4
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application | python | python | ≤ 3.7.12 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | ≤ 3.8.12 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | ≤ 3.9.10 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | ≤ 3.10.2 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | 3.11.0 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | 3.11.0 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | 3.11.0 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | 3.11.0 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | 3.11.0 | Yes |
| Application | python | python | 3.11.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | microsoft | windows | - | No |
| Application | netapp | active_iq_unified_manager | - | Yes |
| Application | netapp | ontap_select_deploy_administration_utility | - | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For python's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.